Scout (competitive)

This article is for competitive play, based on the standard community competitive format. For the generic article on this topic, see: Scout.
The community competitive scene changes frequently. Some or all info may be outdated.

The Scout is the default utility class of the standard competitive lineup, valued for his objective-capturing and picking abilities.

Information

Health

Class	Health	Overheal	Quick-Fix Overheal
Scout	125	185	158
With the Sandman equipped	110	165	139

Speed

Condition	Normal	Backward	Crouched	Swimming
Scout	133 %	120 %	44 %	107 %
Baby Face's Blaster at 0% boost	120 %	108 %	40 %	96 %
Baby Face's Blaster at 50% boost	147 %	132 %	49 %	117 %
Baby Face's Blaster at 100% boost	173 %	156 %	58 %	139 %

Weapons

Main article: Scout weapons (competitive)

The Scout relies mainly on his Scattergun, which deals large damage at close range, but lesser damage at longer range. His speed allows him to quickly jump towards someone and deal damage, and then retreat.

Primary

Weapon	Kill icon	Ammo Loaded	Ammo Carried	Damage Range	Notes / Special Abilities
Stock Scattergun		6	32	Base: 60 Crit: 180 [6 damage × 10 pellets]
Unlock Force-A-Nature		2	32	Base: 65 Crit: 194 [5.4 damage × 12 pellets]	On hit: applies a knockback effect that propels enemies backwards and the user in the opposite direction (if airborne). This allows the user to perform a Force Jump and to horizontally prolong any other jumping technique.  50% faster firing speed.  20% more pellets per shot.  66% smaller clip size.  10% less damage per pellet.  If one shot is unused before reloading, it is lost.
Craft Shortstop		4	32	Base: 48 Crit: 144 [12 damage × 4 pellets]	42% faster firing speed.  100% more damage per pellet.  Has a clip-based reload.  Alt-Fire: does a shove that pushes enemies.  60% fewer pellets per shot.  33% smaller clip size.  20% increase in push force taken from damage and airblast while deployed.
Craft Soda Popper		2	32	Base: 60 Crit: 180 [6 damage × 10 pellets]	A hype meter is placed on the HUD when the Soda Popper is equipped. Damage dealt by the player will build up 'hype'. After dealing roughly 350 damages, the player can activate Hype mode for 8 seconds, allowing for 5 additional air jumps.  25% faster reload speed.  50% faster firing speed.  66% smaller clip size.  If one shot is unused before reloading, it is lost.
Craft Baby Face's Blaster		4	32	Base: 60 Crit: 180 [6 damage × 10 pellets]	Equipping the Baby Face's Blaster will slow the Scout down from 133% of normal speed to 120% of normal speed. A boost meter is placed on the HUD when the Baby Face's Blaster is equipped. Dealing damage, regardless of weapon used while equipping the Baby Face's Blaster, builds up the boost meter, increasing the Scout's speed to 173% of normal speed. The boost meter maxes at 100 points of damage dealt.  34% smaller clip size.  10% slower movement speed on wearer.  Boost reduced on air jumps.  Boost reduced when hit.
Craft Back Scatter		4	32	Base: 60 Crit: 180 [6 damage × 10 pellets]	Minicrits targets when fired at their back from close range.  34% smaller clip size.  No random critical hits.  +20% bullet spread.

Usage

The Scout is an ideal choice of guarding and using flanks against the enemy. His mobility, ability to 2-shot enemy Medics and other Scouts, and dominance when fighting the enemy Demoman makes him useful for picking in a variety of situations. A Scout is at his best when he has a full buff. His two time capture rate allows him to capture the objectives while his team advances and gains territory.

Common Tactics

The Scout is one of the most efficient classes in flanking and ambushing in competitive TF2. His speed, high damage output, and ability to easily dodge projectiles makes him ideal for approaching and killing key targets like the Medic and Demoman. A good, competitive Scout always watches for weaknesses in the enemy team's defense while protecting his team from enemy Scouts doing the same. The agility of Scouts make them efficient at hunting down and eliminating enemy Scouts, taking pressure off of their team's combo, as well as clearing a secure path for his team to advance into.

The Scout's greatest strength is his mobility. As the fastest class in the game, the Scout can avoid being damaged by the enemy by dodging, so he should try to avoid being caught in a situation where he can't dodge. Strategic use of the double jump to redirect his movement enables the Scout to confuse his enemies while attacking, as well as being able to reach areas otherwise inaccessible to other classes. The Scout should try to flank enemies whenever possible; although he is not very weak in a direct fight, getting the first Scattergun blast can be a critical advantage. Scouts are also commonly called upon to deal chip damage to opponents, especially when Medics and health packs are far away. They can fire from long range with their Pistol or close in, fire a few Scattergun shots, and then make use of their speed to retreat. Another duty of Scouts is to chase down retreating enemies thanks to his superior speed and his ability to deal direct damage.

One way that the Scout can put pressure on the Combo and the rest of the team is by back-capping; the threat of having Scouts rampaging behind them is something no team wants. Not only that, but Scouts are quicker than any other class, which means they can get to the next point quicker than anyone else. If the team doesn't have any team mates respawning, it's possible that the Scouts can make it back to the last point. Even when it's not successful, back-capping will give the Scouts team a chance to regroup and respawn by drawing opposing team members away from the main battle; it can be the difference between keeping control of the point and losing the point and possibly even the round.

During mid-battles, Scouts have two main duties to fulfill. They either can protect their Combo from enemy Scouts, or they can be aggressive and try to flank and kill the opposing players, especially the Medic and Demoman. Normally, the Scouts will try to do the best of both worlds; one Scout will play passively while the second Scout will wait for an opportunity to attack them. Due to their speed, they can also easily switch roles to focus on either defense or offense as the situation calls. Having both Scouts playing offensively can allow them to swarm exposed enemy players or finish off damaged enemies in a main battle. For example, on Badlands middle, what usually happens is that one Scout will go and watch Valley, and the other will watch the small house; if one of the Scouts calls that both Scouts are going one way then the other Scout will go and help out.

Due to the vast majority of alternative weapons being banned in most leagues, almost all Scouts use the standard Scattergun and Pistol. In leagues where they are allowed, the Boston Basher and Three-Rune Blade are used by higher level Scouts to help their Medics build Ubercharge while they are waiting to attack or defend a point.

5-CP Push Strategies

Scouts will generally be the second to arrive at the middle point, after the Demoman and sometimes the roamer. On some maps, like Badlands Demomen can arrive a couple of seconds ahead. On these maps, Scouts should beware of enemy sticky traps early on, as they are needed at the mid-fight. There will be a few seconds before the Soldiers and Medics of both teams arrive.

In order to avoid the early stickies on those maps the Scouts can go a different way and skip the choke points where the stickies are normally placed. For example, on Badlands, when they rollout, one Scout should go choke via main, and the other Scout should drop down into valley instead of going through house with their combo. In general, Scouts should never be in a choke point if they can avoid it, this is simply because they are too fragile and can easily die due to the constant spam of rockets and Demoman explosives.

Scouts usually push on the flanks. This is for two reasons. Firstly they make sure that the enemy Scouts don't manage to sneak behind and start a back-cap, and secondly, it allows them to get in close whilst the enemy is distracted by your combo. Once the Scouts are in close they can deal a lot of damage and mop up any remaining enemies who were damaged by his team's combo. The essential role of the Scout, in his team's pushes, is to finish off the injured players and make sure no enemy makes their way behind his team.

Attack-Defend Strategies

On attack-defend maps, Scouts are still useful for the offensive team as they provide faster cap time, are very effective at dealing direct damage, and can keep pressure at the attacking points, but on defense Scouts are generally switched off to a utility class because there is no need for their mobility seeing as the point cannot move. Commonly used utility classes are the Engineer, Sniper and Heavy, with the Pyro seeing occasional use, and the Spy rarely at all. Gravel Pit is a good example of where utilities are commonplace, quite often defending teams choose to run an Engineer and a Sniper (known colloquially as using a Dignitas Lineup). These classes are generally seen as more effective at defending the point from a single strong push then Scouts are.

However, Scouts on the attacking side can also offclass, although it is generally a single Scout that temporarily offclasses at a time. Sniper or Spy are particular favorites because they can kill the enemy Medic with ease and crush a defense. After all, trying to defend against an ÜberCharge is a very hard thing to do. Another use that Scouts have an attack is to take the damage from the stickies that the defending Demoman likes to place on the entrances; when Scouts try to capture point A on Gravel Pit the defending Demoman normally puts stickies on the entrance. By using the Bonk!, a Scout can get through the door without dying.

Passive Scout

The Passive Scout (also known as a Pocket Scout) is a term used to describe a Scout who tends to push in with the combo when pushing into the enemy team. Many teams choose to have a Scout come in at a delayed time, after their ÜberCharge is usually about to finish to receive the remaining charge and overheal to clean up the remaining hurt enemy players. The pocket Scout usually watches flanks and calls them out to his team if someone comes behind them.

There are also certain times (usually on the last control point) where the enemy team is using a Pyro where ÜberCharging in a Soldier would result in your Über being pushed back and it essentially being wasted. On the other hand, Übering in a Scout would allow the Scout to fire his shots at the Pyro and having no fear of his shots being blasted back at him.

Aggressive Scout

The Aggressive Scout (also known as a Freelance Scout) is the Scout who tends to move around the map and get behind the enemy team, compared to the Passive Scout whose role is to protect the combo. The Aggressive Scout's main job is to get behind the enemy team, and pick major classes (generally the Medic and Demoman) and try to get backcaps when he thinks he has a chance to cap the last point without being killed. They tend not to stick with the team as much as the other classes, however if they are needed they will help the team out.

A good strategy for the Aggressive Scout is when your team pushes in with an ÜberCharge, you can get behind the enemy team while they are running away and focused on your Übered teammates. He can also hide in hiding spots that teams do not check such as the lower parts of maps or the flanks. Overall, the Aggressive Scout is the best at picking key classes, flanking the enemy team and getting unexpected caps.

The Aggressive Scout is also usually the player on his team that "offclasses". Offclassing consist of switching to an unconventional class such as a Sniper, Pyro, Engineer or a Heavy. The Aggressive Scout usually perform this action when his team is defending the last control point to either build a Sentry, push back the enemy Über as the Pyro, deal a lot of damage as Heavy or get game changing head shots as a Sniper. The Sniper is usually the most common off class as he is effective offensively and defensively.

Anti-Scout classes

Although it mostly depends on skill, some classes are designed to have an advantage over others, many classes have an advantage over a Scout, as well as others having a disadvantage against him. Let's look at the ones who have an advantage over a Scout:

The Scout

The opposing Scouts are just as dangerous as the enemy Soldiers. In every match, it is highly likely you will run into the opposing Scouts. What makes Scout vs Scout battles very hard is that you are as equally as fast and mobile, and you can also not escape a Scout like you can with other classes. Your dodging and aiming skills will be tested when contesting another Scout. Use Health packs, overheal, and your team's Scout to your advantage. A skilled Scout usually tries to control the area around the health pack so the other Scout cannot run to health and finish you off. When you are about to watch the flanks, always go for a buff from your Medic and try to bring your Scout buddy with you on the flanks to "out-number" the other Scout. Higher skilled Scouts usually trap the Scouts where one of the Scouts hides in the corner and the other lures him into a trap.

The Soldier

A Soldier is a Scout's arch-enemy. A Soldier's ability to deal splash damage making it unavoidable renders a Scout's double jump ability useless. If engaged at dangerously close ranges where the Soldier's primary will deal self-damage, it is likely that a Soldier is going to take out his Shotgun and finish the Scout off. Soldiers are most dangerous in narrow corridors to a Scout due to multiple reasons:

• The Scout cannot maneuver in narrow areas.
• The Soldier shoots straight, high-damage projectiles, meaning direct hits on a Scout become much easier, and are likely to kill the Scout in 2 shots or less.
• The Scout has no option but to simply head-on charge at the Soldier meaning the Scout is unlikely to do any serious damage before being killed.

A Scout's best hope is if the Soldier is in an open area where the Scout can get a height advantage and pick away at the Soldier.

Heavy Weapons Guy

The Heavy has the largest health pool in the game. The Heavy is extremely dangerous at close-range, and fighting him head-on is suicide no matter what class is being played. Due to his extremely high damage and large health, this makes it very hard for a Scout to deal with one that is aware of the Scout's existence. In competitive situations, the Heavy is also likely to have full overheal, as well as a few teammates surrounding him, making it seemingly impossible for a Scout to even get decent damage on the Heavy.

If the Scout gets close, he will have to do three point-blank shots to kill a non-overhealed Heavy. This means to kill a Heavy, the Scout will have to get to close range and risk getting found out and killed by the Heavy's teammates. Compare this to the Heavy, which takes much less effort to kill a Scout. Higher skilled Scouts will usually avoid Heavies at all costs, but if they have to engage they would try to confuse the Heavy's aim by jumping above the Heavy to get as many shots as possible.

Engineer

An Engineer without a sentry isn't much of a threat to a Scout. Simply put, an Engineer is a downgraded version of a Scout. However, this doesn't mean the Engineer isn't a dangerous class by himself, especially if he has the Gunslinger equipped. What makes the Engineer a brilliant anti-Scout class is his Sentry Gun; a high-damage, high-health, and extremely accurate auto-turret capable of acting as a wall to a Scout. Due to the nature of a Sentry Gun, a Scout cannot dodge the sentry's bullets, meaning the Scout's speed and double jump will not help him at all. His low health means that the Sentry Gun can finish him off in seconds, and his short-range and low firepower makes him completely reliant on his team to destroy it.

However, if the Scout has the Bonk! item equipped he becomes "invincible" and can absorb the sentry's damage, allowing other teammates to destroy it easily. The Engineer is the worst enemy for a Scout making it hard for a Scout to be effective in Highlander.

See also

• Scout weapons (competitive)
• Capping (competitive)
• Scout
• Classes (competitive)
• Standard competitive lineup